To better understand the variation properties of marine aerosol during transport, single particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SPAMS) was applied for the first time during a comprehensive ocean experiment over the South Yellow Sea in November 2012. Two parallel sections influenced by marine air masses with constant wind direction from ocean to land (Section 1), and continental air masses with constant wind direction from land to ocean (Section 2), respectively, were selected to study the variation of chemical characteristics of marine aerosol. The results showed that the average particle count in Section 2 was around 3.5 times higher than that in Section 1, which might be ascribed to the influence of continental air masses, accompanied with high wind speed in Section 2. Particle counts of major components (SO₄^2-, NO₃^-, NH₄⁺, OC and EC) containing particles in Section 1 and Section 2 (excluding NO₃^-) gradually decreased by 58%-74% and 34%-53%, and the reductions in Section 1 were greater than that in Section 2. Secondary aerosol contributed to the highest fraction (42%) of the total particles in Section 2, while sea-salt aerosol contributed to the highest (>30%) in Section 1. The contribution of secondary and other anthropogenic aerosols (including biomass burning, Soot-like and Pb-containing aerosols) in both sections were significant. It indicated that the contribution of anthropogenic air pollutants to marine aerosol could not be ignored over the South Yellow Sea.